Maine Coast Heritage Trust will host a free, hands-on Korean Natural Farming Workshop at Erickson Fields Preserve, 164 West St in Rockport, on Friday, August 19 from 2:00-4:00 PM. The workshop, presented by Erickson Farm and Program Manager Aaron Englander, will teach attendees new farming techniques including making natural fertilizers.
Englander will demonstrate Korean Natural Farming (KNF), an agricultural method that encourages self-sustaining, closed loop systems through minimizing external inputs. Developed by Master Han Kyu Cho in South Korea, KNF echoes many of the principles central to Masanobu Fukuoka’s Natural Farming technique as well as Permaculture. This three-hour, hands-on workshop will present practices of KNF and adaptations to the Northeast US through live demos of various Natural Farming bio-fertilizers and nutrients. Workshop attendees will learn to make KNF inputs. KNF is applicable to many types and scales of farming, from backyard veggie gardening to large scale livestock operations. The goal of the workshop is for attendees to leave equipped with the knowledge to implement KNF practices on their own farm or garden.
Attendees should bring a notepad, pen, water, and sunscreen. Space is limited. Registration closes August 18 and is available online at aldermere.org/programs/knfw and over the phone, 207-236-2739.
About the presenter:
Aaron Englander is the farm and program manager at Erickson Fields Preserve, an educational farm managed and owned by Maine Coast Heritage Trust. Englander learned Korean Natural Farming through an intensive workshop led by Master Han Kyu Cho, the originator of KNF, and working on a polyculture fruit farm in Hilo, Hawaii which implements KNF techniques. Currently, Englander utilizes KNF inputs and techniques at Erickson Field Preserve. Over the past several years, Englander has led KNF workshops for NOFA (New England Organic Farming Association), PASA (Pennsylvania Sustainable Ag. Association), and the University of Maine. Englander has an M.S. from UMaine in Plant and Soil Science and has published research on the subject.
